


A non-traditional approach to coming together

by BunnyJess



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Breaking and Entering, Canon-Typical Injuries, Canon-Typical Violence, Crimeboss Jason, F/M, Good Brother Damian, Good friend Stephanie, Good mom Talia, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd wasn't Robin, Jason is a good brother, Jason never met Bruce, Jason was adopted by Talia, Protective Jason Todd, Symptoms of bloodloss, The Batfam are stalkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:28:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28201617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyJess/pseuds/BunnyJess
Summary: Jason has sworn never to go to the Bats for help, but he prefers it to death. Thankfully, this Bat isn't too harsh on the eyes. Bedrest never looked so good.
Relationships: Stephanie Brown/Jason Todd
Comments: 7
Kudos: 97





	A non-traditional approach to coming together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girlgamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlgamer/gifts).



> Prompts were:   
> Old fashioned;   
> Name on a Napkin,   
> Hurt/Comfort  
> and  
> Canon Typical Violence. 
> 
> Hope you like it babe <3
> 
> Also, anything in italics is spoken a League dialect only al Ghul’s know.

Pain unlike any he’d felt before lanced through Jason. Footsteps stumbling as he clumsily climbed through the window of a Bat. He didn’t want to reach out for help. The last thing he needed was their noses in his business and his own reputation taking a hit if they decided to hang around him. Worst of all, in Jason’s opinion, he was putting them in more danger than they’d experience on a given night.

Still, there was no other place he could reach while in this much pain and his bio-foam was barely holding his body together.

Rather ungracefully for a League Assassin he landed in a heap under the windowsill and wondered what had become of his life. He knew, obviously he did, he’d been deciding his own fate ever since the day he’d met Talia al Ghul in an alley and subsequently helped her defeat a member of the Untitled. Whisked away to a land he’d come to call home by a woman who’d soon become his mom had been due to his choice of going with her. She’d already had an infant son, except he’d been taken by her father and was already being kept as close to the man as possible. She’d not wanted a replacement exactly, the nine year age gap was proof enough of that. No, the formidable woman just wanted a boy she’d found to be extraordinary to be her own son. Untouched by Ra’s and free of any influence by her Beloved.

From that day on he’d trained. Working hard to overcome his health issues and become someone Talia could be proud of publicly. Their time together was precious and Jason had wanted her to be able to be as proud as she was when they were alone around all those under her control.

For years he’d been a silent shadow. A blade master hidden within society who would be mistaken as a brawler before an assassin for the top shadow organisation globally. Taking out targets the world over and enjoying all the luxuries being the second prince afforded him.

Then Ra’s had flipped. His own daughters, Jason, and Ubu taking him down. The League being passed to Talia with the other three as her board, so to speak. It had meant that, despite getting Damian away from his clutches and preventing him from assuming control of Damian’s body, the young boy had to be sent away to a father he’d never known to protect him from the final, bloody fight.

It broke her heart to send him away, just as it broke Jason’s to leave with him. Slinking back to his home city under Talia’s order to keep a watchful eye over his brother. Building up a criminal empire a few months after Damian’s arrival to keep the Bats from finding out his true intentions within the city.

Now though, now all that work seemed for naught as he sat on the cheap vinyl flooring, held together with foam, and devoid of helmet and mask. Both disappearing in the fight he’d been caught up in. One smashed, the other torn from his face thanks to a lucky grab.

Bye bye anonymity, hello stalkers.

A noise managed to break through Jason’s foggy mind, quickly followed by his own shout of pain as the vigilante climbed through the window he’d fallen through. Not how he’d expected to meet a Bat. Jason was just glad he had had the wherewithal to keep his clothes on.

A taser was aimed at his chest soon enough. Electricity crackling across its prongs as the user threatened to shoot. It wasn’t round, Jason noted, like Nightwing’s. No, this was closer to a police model, just much more effective he assumed.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Voice: Female. List cut to four possibilities instead of a thousand.

Entry: Through the window. Cuts out Oracle.

A quick glance up cut the number down again.

Hair: Shoulder length or longer. Two possibilities remain.

Location: Bowery/Narrows border. One possibility remaining.

Jason slowly raised his hands, palms out, and looked up once more. “Just Silent Blade, also called Red Hood, I need your help so I don’t die and my mom and brother end up heartbroken.” He was mortified when he finished speaking. Blood loss making him confused and forcing more information out of him than usual.

Luckily for Jason, sort of, he was so delirious by this point that his speech was beginning to slur. The figure; Batgirl, he’d determined she was Batgirl, the incompetent one if he went by what his brother said and not what he’d seen with how own eyes; crouched and began to look him over.

Everything around Jason quickly faded to black. The last of his reserves running out now he had help at hand. Help he knew he could trust because of how often he’d have to hear his brother snark about her.

*****

Waking slowly was a sensation Jason was unused to. He was either awake or asleep. Not gently waking and feeling fuzzy around the edges. His life didn’t usually allow for it, working as a Mob Boss and as Silent Blade left little room for lazy mornings.

A figure was curled against him and another was slumped at his side. A familiar mop of shiny black hair was all he could see of the one tucked so tightly to his chest. However, it was a mop of hair he’d be able to spot even in the busiest of crowds. No-one hurt his brother except him during a spar.

“Thank fuck.” The mystery person to his left breathed with a hint of relief as they quickly scanned his vitals. “Score one for not provoking Damian into murder.”

The events of two days ago smashed into him and Jason shuddered. That simple movement enough to dislodge his brother. Emerald green eyes pinning him in place in an attempt at the same scorn their mom would have on while unable to conceal the fear underneath.

“ _What are you doing in Gotham my brother?”_ Damian’s sharp, stilted tone showed just how long it had been since his first language had been spoken aloud. The reminder that Damian wasn’t the kid they’d been forced to send away at the same age he’d come to Talia, communication reduced to encrypted calls once a month that were always in English to avoid suspicion.

“ _What do you think Squirt?”_ He tried to tug the boy ~~teen~~ closer only to be stopped by a large hand clamping onto his shoulder painfully, ignorantly (or perhaps deliberately) placed over one of the many new bullets holes over his body.

Glancing up Jason’s breath caught. He’d read a great deal of romantic fiction and had many a partner. All paled in comparison to the blonde woman holding onto him. Her rosy cheeks, blonde hair scraped into a messy bun, perfect mouth, and a smirk that promised pain if you ignored her and didn’t trust in her results.

“You’re under orders to not move unless you absolutely have to.” Even her voice was gorgeous. Melodic and flowing with an undertone similar to his own accent once upon a time. Blue eyes filled with protective fire towards his brother, unwilling to let an assassin die lest it upset Robin.

_“She’s pretty Spud, how come you never mentioned that?”_ Jason’s brain was too fogged by the blood loss to watch his tongue. Embarrassment hard to come by when he was finally hugging his brother after four years. Ignoring how his brother was now fifteen and almost as tall as he was, certainly on par with their mom.

_“Really? That’s what you’re focusing on and not the fact you’re not dead. Also, how long have you been Hood?”_ The sheer petulance coming from his brother, his teenaged little brother, ~~no seriously when did that happen?~~ makes him grin. He might have lived with Bruce and his emotional ineptitude but he’d not really changed. Not in the ways that mattered.

Steph cut any further conversation off by turning Jason’s face and shining a pen torch into his eyes. Watching his reflexes and dragging it out as payback for having his bio-foam fail and bleeding all over her second favourite rug. Moving on to check other vital signs before sitting back down with a nod of her head.

“ _All good?_ ” Jason didn’t realise that he’d not switched back. So used to using his mother and brother’s first language as if it’s his own that his confused mind just defaulted to it.

Stephanie cocked her head to the side, like a bird or a puppy when it wants to hear something better Jason noted. An adorable look on the stunning woman. Her blonde hair falling over her shoulder and away from her head similar to a Labrador’s ears. Wholly cute and something he’d never considered needing in a partner.

Her smile perked up as Damian translated and she went on to explain exactly how much damage the hitmen had caused. Some days Jason wondered if his brother was safer as Robin than he was as a mob boss in Gotham. It was the third attempted hit to get close enough to scar him in six months; countless and forgetful in the list of others who’d tried and failed.

Apparently he’d been unconscious for two days and the Bat had been circling for both of them. When it had become apparent to Damian that Jason would be waking soon he’d text their mom. Instantly the woman had stepped up to protect her sons. A sizeable distraction pulling the JLA, Titans, and Young Justice away to deal with it, leaving Gotham to those not included in the groups ~~the women~~ and a little bird who had refused to create his own version of the Teen Titans.

It was another thing that didn’t surprise Jason about his little brother. Why create the third imitation of the ‘grown-ups table’ when you could trust your original team to have your back as much as your brother’s team. The Silent Shadow and the Blood Stars worked so closely together that they only kept to the official groupings and titles when competing in the annual al Ghul summer tournament. Lighthearted fun that had led to some serious competition between the two brothers and the many assassins who’d take part.

“Now, you need to get some rest and then probably get out of here before B gets back and tries his whole ‘I am the night’ schtick on you.” Steph sat back down and went back to doing what she’d been doing before which was, as much as Jason could see from the slightly elevated slump he’d ended up in, scrolling Twitter and trolling villains that had accounts. How the villains had working accounts while in Arkham he wasn’t going to ever understand. Anyone he’d taken out had been taken out permanently, either by rendering them unable to continue their illegal work or ending up dead. They’d certainly not be able to get into an argument via Twitter like Riddler was currently doing with Batgirl.

Still, the way she handled them left Jason a little in awe. Answering every riddle, even if she had to ask Damian for help on some of them because Nigma was a slippery bastard, and ensuring the public saw that they could never get one over on the hero. It made sense to him in that moment just why Stephanie worked in Gotham and with the Birds of Prey and not with any of the more major and less covert teams. 

She had a way about her that kept the villain coming back. Probably stalling any planning for future escape attempts as they tried to think up more and more complicated riddles. Not once trying to out the Bats identities, not that they would after swearing to keep them secret after begging to use one of the League’s Lazarus Pits to cure their brain tumour. They’d tried to bargain the info in exchange for using them. Talia had shut them down by explaining the League had known the Big Bat’s identity since before he’d stepped out as the Bat in Gotham and subsequently knew every one of his team.

Eddie still owed them a favour actually, now Jason thought about it.

He knew it was a little unethical to use it this way, however, he knew his mom wouldn’t have a problem with it. Reaching for his phone and punching in the passcode before allowing it to perform the required retinal and fingerprint scans. Eddie’s number was hidden under a brain symbol and it was a matter of shooting off a quick text to let them know that the League considered Batgirl and Robin off-limits to all his future plans. Arguments on Twitter were allowed so long as they didn’t escalate to them attempting to draw the pair into a physical confrontation or riddle.

The phone is switched off as soon as the message is delivered. No need to wait for Nigma’s pissy reply. It’ll be the same as it was back when they’d told them the price was a favour, cashed at any time in the future, with no top-end. A grumpy little Riddler wondering how they’d been bested again when they considered themselves in an exclusive club of one, maybe two if the fear gas is blowing in the right direction.

****

A week after finding a bleeding mob boss under her window and subsequently discovering that Red Hood and Robin’s overprotective older brother were one-and-the-same Steph wakes up to a flat tidier than she’d ever seen it since she’d unpacked. No sign of the almost-dead man anywhere in sight. Only her own memories and the sleeping teen in her spare room are proof she didn’t just dream it all up.

Pushing aside any weird feelings Steph begins the process of making breakfast for herself and Robin. Pulling out all the stuff she keeps in to make vegan waffles. Damian might not stay at her’s often, but he’s done it enough that she insists on keeping certain items stocked so he can always enjoy her favourites. Vegan milk and butter for smooth, buttery mash spooned over a vegetable casserole. Ice cream and chocolate he knows he can grab without checking the ingredients with a fine-toothed comb. Best of all, she stocks all the ingredients to ensure he gets a filling breakfast that he knows will satisfy his hunger and that weird insatiable craving everyone gets for comfort food. 

Everything is close to finished by the time Damian drags himself out of bed. In time for the last peanut butter stuffed waffle to be pulled out the iron and the coffee machine to finish draining. Every footstep seeming to be a great struggle. A struggle Steph remembers well from being fifteen and considering anything before 1pm too early. For Damian that time might be anything before 8am but the premise is still the same.

Unfortunately for Steph his shuffled arrival is early enough for him to witness her discovering the exceptionally soft cloth napkin tucked into her favourite morning mug. She doesn’t even own paper napkins so she knows it’s not one she’d owned before the whole ~~Hood~~ Jason incident. Glancing up she is just quick enough to catch the adorable smile Damian gives the napkin, quickly replaced by an eye-roll and indignant scoff.

Unfurling the purple napkin, which closet inspection makes her realise is folded up like a rose, makes her cheeks tint pink. Gasping at the careful writing across one corner.

“Stephanie, thank you for helping me. I know Dami won’t say it, but he’s thankful for your actions too. Maybe we could grab coffee some time? Bitch about college and get to know each other better. Yours, J.Todd-al Ghul” followed by two phone numbers, one a Gotham area code, the other international.

She reads it over twice more. Unable to contain the unfurling giddiness she feels. In the week they’d been together, five with him awake but only two where he remembered to speak anything other than some old League dialect, she’d come to find herself growing more and more attracted to him. Steph had always been seen as the odd one out when it came to the Bats. Dating Tim, Cass, and Helena had shown her as much. Her relationship with Helena lasting longer than the other two combined. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for her to look elsewhere.


End file.
